Category: Awards

What does a PR agency do? The Vita Vite Lifestyle

Clairemont InternAwards, Blog, Case Studies, , , , , , , ,

Vita Vite, a wine bar and art gallery in downtown Raleigh, had quickly surfaced as a local hotspot since its grand opening in 2015. With her growing customer base, owner Lindsay Rice sought to leverage her Facebook social media presence to increase awareness, engagement and on-site traffic. Vita Vite turned to Clairemont Communications to craft a creative Facebook strategy that would transform casual observers into active, lifelong fans.

STRATEGY

Our objective was to increase Facebook followership by at least 25 percent by the end of 2017. Clairemont’s campaign portrayed Vita Vite not just as a wine bar but ultimately as a cultural lifestyle. To forge an emotional connection, Clairemont showcased the ways fans enjoyed Vita Vite. For example, since the target demographic valued fitness, friendships and their four-legged pup friends, content highlighted Vita Vite’s pooch-friendly porch, “Sip and Sweat” exercise classes and even board games for girls’ nights. The campaign solicited personal feedback (“Which Vita Vite nook is your favorite?”) and Vita Vite-themed personality quizzes (“Red, white or rose today?”). Vita Vite partnered with organizations like barre3 Fitness Studio and the Downtown Raleigh Alliance for social media takeovers to increase visibility along with advertised posts.

EXECUTION

To ensure quality from start to finish, Clairemont held weekly client calls to discuss our strategy and tactics, aligning each phase with client objectives. Checklists and thorough calendars guided the social media calendar, and Clairemont provided on-site support to capture, deliver and evaluate the content.

RESULTS

Clairemont’s initiative increased Facebook followership by 42 percent by the end of 2017 as well as increased engagement by 1.5 percent; this was a particularly notable byproduct since average Facebook engagement decreased by 20 percent in 2017 across all industries. In addition, Vita Vite reported one of its most successful sales years to date and a full schedule of sold-out events that increased traffic and revenue.

As a result, Vita Vite secured awards like “Best Place to Get a Glass of Wine” and “Best Girls’ Night Out Spot,” and owner Lindsay earned the Top 40 Under 40 and Women in Business awards from the Triangle Business Journal.

The work Clairemont Communications conducted in partnership with Vita Vite earned an Award of Excellence by the North Carolina Public Relations Society of America (NCPRSA). We are proud that this campaign represents one of the 190 awards we’ve received since starting Clairemont in 2010.

Congratulations to Vita Vite owner Lindsay Rice who is launching her second VV location this August in North Hills!

To read more about the work we do with clients, please visit the case study section of our blog.

Image courtesy of Vita Vite.

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What does a PR agency do? Il Palio at the James Beard House

Clairemont InternAwards, Blog, Case Studies, , , , , , , ,

Il Palio, Chapel Hill’s AAA-rated Four Diamond Italian restaurant, wanted to break into the national culinary scene and gain acclaim as one of the leading restaurants in the Southeast. When Il Palio turned to Clairemont Communications for help, Clairemont devised a creative tactic to target the innermost circle of food influencers, the James Beard Foundation, and forge relationships between Il Palio’s chef Teddy Diggs and these national culinary gatekeepers.

STRATEGY

We positioned Chef Teddy to the James Beard Foundation as the country’s newest kind of “sommelier,” an olive oil expert, qualified by his extensive culinary experience in Italy’s olive oil producing regions. In addition, we seeded the social media landscape with posts that tied him to other James-Beard-winning chefs and James Beard Foundation activities to forge connections.

Clairemont leveraged the dinner as a news angle for busy New York food reporters. Pitches like “Olive You, Darling” utilized the upcoming Valentine’s season to include a timely editorial hook, while “Olive Oil: The New Wine” positioned olive oil as a luxurious, soiree-worthy staple for New York’s posh publications. Clairemont overnighted media kits featuring Teddy’s hallmark fresh Rosemary and Sea Salt Olive Oil Focaccia with an accompanying dinner invitation. Clairemont also leveraged the James Beard Dinner to boost visibility at home, inviting Raleigh influencers to join the dinner remotely via the James Beard live camera feed.

EXECUTION

To ensure quality from start to finish, Clairemont held weekly client meetings to discuss dinner themes, messaging and tactics. We frequently toured the kitchen, interviewed staff and observed the cooking process to accurately portray Il Palio’s specialties and culture. Clairemont provided on-site support at media interviews and the James Beard House to ensure concise messaging.

RESULTS

  1. The James Beard Foundation invited Chef Teddy to cook at the James Beard House in February 2017.
  2. Clairemont secured in-person interviews with two media and dinner attendance from five key media from outlets like Food and Wine Magazine and NBC’s Today Show, surpassing the original objectives.
  3. With the objective of three stories, Clairemont placed six national media stories by December 2017 in coveted outlets such as Saveur, The Daily Meal and Food Republic. Social media posts reached approximately 1.2 million followers on Twitter alone, far exceeding the original goal.

Clairemont successfully positioned Il Palio as a desirable, modern dining hotspot. Bolstered by diner reviews and media coverage, Il Palio earned a Silver Medal from food critics as a “Best Restaurant in the Triangle in 2017.” In addition, the James Beard dinner sparked the “Taste of James Beard,” a collaborative dinner with leading Raleigh chefs that Chef Teddy hosted upon return, leveraging his New York trip to attract new customers and boost sales at Il Palio.

The work Clairemont Communications conducted in partnership with Il Palio won an Honorable Mention by the North Carolina Public Relations Society of America (NCPRSA). We are proud that this campaign represents one of the 190 awards we’ve received since starting Clairemont in 2010.

To read more about the work we do with clients, please visit the case study section of our blog.

Image courtesy of the James Beard House.

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190 Thank Yous

Cherith AndesAwards, Blog, The Clairemont Team, , , , , ,

At the end of the day, you might eyeball your check list, cross through the accomplishments and reticently port the straggling items to tomorrow’s list. Another ho-hum day in books.

But at Clairemont, we feel a little differently. We love the work we get to do and clients with whom we get to work. We’re energized, jazzed — thrilled! — to delve into our clients’ strategies and campaigns. And we’re grateful that we can partner with such incredible businesses and people.

At the 2018 North Carolina Public Relations Society (NCPRSA) InSpire Awards banquet, we got the opportunity to celebrate these wonderful client relationships and fun campaigns. We were honored to receive 15 awards from the NCPRSA for our client work, including:

  • Bronze Best in Show “Newland Feature Story”
  • Best in Category for “Social Media: The Vita Vite Lifestyle”
  • Best in Category for “Press Kit/Media Kit: Il Palio’s Freshly Baked Media Kit”
  • Best in Category for “Integrated Communications: Babalu’s Grand Opening Rocks the Guac”
  • Best in Category for “Editorials/Op-Ed Columns: Newland Editorial: Gains of Going Green”
  • Award of Excellence for “Feature Stories: Newland Feature Story”
  • Award of Excellence for “Press Conferences: WGU NC Launch”
  • Award of Excellence for “Integrated Communications: Babalu’s Grand Opening Rocks the Guac”
  • Award of Excellence for “Events and Observances: Briar Chapel’s Annual Pepper Festival Turns 10”
  • Award of Excellence for “Social Media: The Vita Vite Lifestyle”
  • Award of Excellence for “Editorials/Op-Ed Columns: Newland Editorial: Gains of Going Green”
  • Award of Excellence for “Media Relations: Talbots and Oprah Magazine Dress for Success”
  • Honorable Mention for “Videos: Wendell Falls Builder Spotlight Videos”
  • Honorable Mention for “Press Kits/Media Kits: Il Palio’s Freshly Baked Media Kit”
  • Honorable Mention for “Creative Tactics: Il Palio at the James Beard House”

Since inception, Clairemont has earned now 190 industry awards for its work in the public relations industry. We consider this 190 times we get to say “thank you” to our clients for partnering with us!

Interested in some of the work we do? Check out a few of our case studies!

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Secure Your Business Award

Cherith AndesAwards, Blog, Professional Development, , ,

Are you ready to increase your professional visibility? Gain the recognition you deserve!

Clairemont Communications, a full-service public relations agency, specializes in researching and writing industry awards for companies, events and professional individuals.

Our clients often feel like it can be a challenge to write about themselves. At Clairemont, we’re adept at pinpointing and articulating your successes – the wow factors in your career that deserve the spotlight.

In 2017, we entered three clients for the Triangle Business Journals 40 Under 40, and all three received the award. We helped Newland Communities, the nation’s largest private developer, secure the prestigious Developer of the Year award as well as multiple industry awards. These are just a few of the many accolades we’ve secured over the years.

Now, it’s your turn. Claim your well-deserved recognition! To get started, check out these upcoming awards opportunities with the Triangle Business Journal.

The Clairemont Award Portfolio
How We Can Help You

Clairemont will conduct an initial consult with you to determine your goals, recommend award nominations and confirm your eligibility for desired awards. After the consult, Clairemont will:

  • Research and create your portfolio through client interviews and third-party interviews, if applicable.
  • Determine and curate accomplishments, achievements and community impact.
  • Draft and furnish two rounds of revisions.
  • Finalize and submit full award portfolio.
  • Draft social media strategy to build client’s network and notoriety if candidate wins.
  • Create post-event networking recommendations to maximize visibility if candidate wins.

Email Dana Phelps Hughens or call at 615-294-1886 to get started on your portfolio.

 

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What Does a PR Agency Do? A Top-Selling Real Estate Community

Clairemont InternAwards, Blog, Case Studies, , , , , , , ,

Briar Chapel is one of largest master-planned green communities in North Carolina and part of Newland Communities, the country’s most prominent privately held residential real estate developer. As it approached its eighth year in business, the marketing team turned to Clairemont, its agency of record, to continue to position Briar Chapel as one of the Triangle’s most desirable living destinations.

Strategy

Clairemont crafted a strategy to reenergize Briar Chapel’s organizational identity through media relations, creative on-site events and community partnerships. Since research showed that target buyers valued self-expression and innovation along with a sense of community, our methods provided opportunities for prospects to interact and personally experience the relational atmosphere at Briar Chapel while highlighting its cutting-edge, customizable lifestyle offerings.

Execution

The Pepper Festival: Hosted on-site at Briar Chapel, the annual Pepper Festival celebrates local culture and food, featuring the largest chef competition in the state. As the team planned for the 9th Pepper Festival, Clairemont spiced up the event to increase attendance and gain stronger visibility for Briar Chapel. To connect with families, we launched the inaugural Spicy Kid Chef Competition, pairing top chefs with aspiring “Pint-Sized Chefs” and challenging the peppery pairs to craft their most creative pepper-themed dish. We tapped into the creative class by hosting a “Hot Glam Fashion Show” where designers showcased pepper-themed couture.

To boost online visibility and social sharing, Clairemont created an interactive personality quiz peppered with twists of wit; seven short questions posed unexpected queries and prescribed a pepper-themed personality type (like “Mild Child,” “Sweet Heat” or “Flame Thrower”), encouraging users to share their results and enter to win festival tickets. Creative and individualized pitches piqued the interest of target influencers. These efforts attracted a record 2,500 festivalgoers on-site to Briar Chapel and secured record coverage, including features in regional magazines and on TV segments.

Launching Veranda: As Briar Chapel prepared to unveil Veranda, its first commercial segment, Clairemont added zest to the strategy to snag the interest of media and guests. For example, we bypassed standard shovels at the ground-breaking ceremony and opted instead to put our officials at the helm of Bobcat excavators.

The ground-breaking ceremony secured visits from the Triangle’s top reporters through creative pitches and placed stories in almost all of the area’s major outlets. To foster community engagement before grand opening, Briar Chapel hosted “Meet the Neighbors,” inviting residents to enjoy complementary food, beverages, live music and services from their new Veranda neighbors at a block-style party. Veranda opened its doors as an attractor for homebuyers and destination for Chapel Hill visitors.

Partnerships and Community Events: To attract prospective homebuyers, Clairemont ditched blasé home tours and helped launch a series of creative on-site events. The team reinstated Music in the Meadow, an outdoor summer concert series featuring local bands, food trucks and family activities in Briar Chapel’s renowned parks. Briar Chapel also hosted a Triangle Off-Road Cyclists (TORC) race to attract the public on-site while showcasing its extensive trail system. Standard open-house weekends were transformed into interactive celebrations that offered guests guides to explore amenities and gift certificates to enjoy the shops and restaurants at Veranda, Briar Chapel’s new commercial segment.

Online Presence: Clairemont retooled Briar Chapel’s website content to reflect its innovative homes and the sense of community that target demographics prized. To boost reader interest, we transformed data into useful, creative content, such as a DIY home blog series, sneak peek tours of developments and resident spotlights on programs such as “Pooches on the Porch.”

Creative Media Pitches: Clairemont brainstormed creative angles beyond home construction to pique the interest of reporters throughout the year. Our pitches explored everything from Briar Chapel’s commitment to green building and its new age-qualified section to its active, vibrant vibe.

Results

In direct correlation with our stated objectives above, we met every goal, exceeded expectations and produced the following results:

  1. Clairemont secured a total of 36 news stories and blogs.
  2. Special events drew an additional 4,000 people on-site.
  3. Home sales increased by 49 percent in 2016.

As a result of this campaign, Clairemont successfully positioned Briar Chapel as one of the top places to live in the Triangle, which helped Briar Chapel meet its annual sales goal and earn the title of Best Neighborhood by Chapel Hill Magazine.

The work Clairemont Communications conducted in partnership with Briar Chapel earned a Gold Award in Organizational Identity/Promotion the Raleigh Public Relations Society. We are proud that this campaign represents two of the 175 awards we’ve received since starting Clairemont in 2010.

To read more about the work we do with clients, please visit the case study section of our blog.

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